Ray's on the River, known as one of Atlanta's premiere riverside dining destinations, is partnering with The Ken Ford Foundation (KFF), founded by internationally known musician, "King of Strings" entertainer, Ken Ford to host "Strings on the River" on Saturday, May 19, 2012. The Ken Ford Foundation is an organization that focuses on enhancing academic excellence through music appreciation and making music classes and programs for youth available throughout the state of Georgia.

"This is a great day for Fulton County where we merge the charitable side of a business like Ray's and The Ken Ford Foundation's mission of music education," says Foundation Executive Director Annette Davis Jackson. "We are one and the same."

Mike Ross, director of operations for Ray's Restaurants noted, "With live jazz being such a big part of our restaurants' identities, The Ken Ford Foundation partnership is a natural progression for us." Since founder Ray Schoenbaum opened the doors nearly three decades ago, Ray's Restaurants have been developing deep ties to the local community and charitable organizations. Ross adds, "For several years, we've worked with the Fragile Kids Foundation, and we are proud to add the Ken Ford Foundation to our list of partner organizations."

Strings on the River will take place at Ray's on the River's Event Lawn that overlooks the Chattahoochee River on May 19th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature concessions (beer, wine, sodas and food) and performances by Ken Ford and students of The Ken Ford Foundation. Praise 102.5 FM will host an instrument drive during the event to donate to prodigies in schools and to The Fragile Kids Foundation, a beneficiary of The Ken Ford Foundation.

Tickets are available through Eventbrite: http://stringsontheriver.eventbrite.com. Tickets are $45 for general admission. For $55 concert-goers can purchase VIP tickets that include admission to the concert, an autographed Ken Ford CD, and a VIP meet and greet immediately following the show. About The Ken Ford Foundation

The Ken Ford Foundation focuses on enhancing academic excellence through music appreciation. Our philosophy is, musicians achieve higher grade point averages (GPA) and test scores than non-musicians in the same school. Exposure and opportunity to study music uniquely enhances higher brain functions required for reading, mathematics, chess, science, and engineering. Therefore, The Ken Ford Foundation's (KFF) mission is to encourage generations of youth ages 5-18 to embrace their unique talents through an appreciation of music and to get school systems to recognize 'music as a sport' which most recently occurred in DeKalb County, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, visit http://www.thekenfordfoundation.org/For more information, please visit www.TheKenFordFoundation.org.